United Kingdom regulators were effectively the last hurdle stopping Microsoft from purchasing Activision Blizzard, in the biggest merger the video game industry has ever seen. That hurdle was cleared this morning as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority relented to adjusted terms. With the nearly $70 billion purchase now officially complete, Microsoft unveiled a victory blog post, complete with an extended showcase of its now-combined intellectual property with Activision, Blizzard, and King. The CMA’s sticking points included Microsoft’s prospective dominance in the unfolding game streaming market, and Microsoft’s concessions were deep. When it initially blocked the merger early this year, regulators said that the combined publishing giant could effectively monopolize games streamed to consumers without the need for local PCs or consoles, as is already the case with Xbox Game Stream and the all-you-can-eat Game Pass subscription. Microsoft’s concessions to the UK include a block on exclusivity for cloud streaming for all existing Activision games, crucially including the massive Call of Duty shooter franchise. The block will continue for 15 years, with streaming rights sold (or surrendered, depending on your point of view) to French mega-publisher Ubisoft. Significantly, this will allow Call of Duty to be streamed to players on the PlayStation for the foreseeable future. With the UK and EU obstacles out of the way, the United States Federal... Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2023-10-13 14:10:14 UTC ]
Linda Liukas's project, Hello Ruby, smashed its Kickstarter funding goal in under four hours.We know that the goal of teaching future generations to code will make big strides within the next year. There are already some pretty ambitious ideas out there, like video games and adorable yet highly... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literature. Love. They get skewered — though generously — by Los Angeles author Mark Haskell Smith in his new novel, 'Raw: A Love Story.'It's impossible to count how many times literature has died. In the last century alone, it's been killed by radio, television, comic books, video games and,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chancellor's measures to help film business likely to encourage more Hollywood studios to use British post-production facilitiesThe UK's film special effects industry has received a shot in the arm with the government announcing plans to make it easier for Hollywood studios to qualify for UK tax... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For a small monthly fee, consumers are used to getting unlimited access to all types of content: movies, TV shows, music, news, video games. Could that same model soon become popular in the world of publishing? Given the success of Netflix in video and Spotify in music, it's inevitable that... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Almost overnight, the New York book publishing landscape got a lot smaller—or bigger, if you happen to work for Random House or Penguin, which last week became the publishing industry behemoth Penguin Random House. With more than 10,000 employees, the new global publisher will control 25% of the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes and Noble has not had an easy go of it. The brick-and-mortar stalwart has seen its revenues and profits steeply decline as we've entered the age of the ebook. In fact, profits haven't just shrunk; they've disappeared. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013, the company suffered a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even with attendance capped at 130,000 by the fire marshal, the San Diego Comic-Con International remains the granddaddy of all comics conventions. It’s the biggest pop culture event in North America—comics are the core of an event that also showcases movies, toys, video games, science fiction,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing giant behind the Daily Mail is entering the travel arena with a bookings site. MailTravel.co.uk is described as offering a “robust new sales distribution channel to existing and new suppliers”. A& ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author G.P. Taylor says 'children's literature has gone too far' and advocates a ratings system like that for movies or video games. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc, the parent of IPC Media and the US publishing giant behind titles including People and Time, has appointed Digitas global chief executive Laura Lang as its new chief executive. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 15:47 Hachette Livre has acquired a stake in Moscow-based trade publishing group Azbooka-Atticus. The publishing giant now owns a 25% interest (plus one share) in the publisher, which is owned 94.6% by Alexander Mamuts A&NN Group, which recently acquired... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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